Easter Bunnies

One of the reasons I always loved Easter as a kid was due to a tradition that my mom started.  Nestled in each of our Easter baskets, amid the Peeps, colored eggs, and chocolate bunny, would be a special bunny for each of our collections.  I remember proudly displaying my bunny collection on my dresser up until I was 10 or 11, and then the bunnies went into a box.

I found my bunny collection not long ago and decided to start using it as Easter decor.  It's a bit kitchy, but I knew Cole wouldn't mind since the bunny may be her favorite animal (next to the narwhal, of course).  Having these bunnies out makes me think of my mom, too, and that's fun.

I'm going to keep this tradition alive by starting a bunny collection for Clementine this year.  Here are a few bunnies in the running to grace Clementine's Easter basket:

{bunny in shawl and gown, found here}

{tiny sky blue bunny and egg, found here}

{little brown and white rabbit, found here}

I think it'd be cool to include in Clementine's collection not just ceramic or wood bunnies but also knit or paper.  Maybe next year I'll have the time and gumption to make one for her!

Googleween Recap

Our Droid costumes took the Best Costume Design prize in the costume contest last Friday!

Our antics chronicled in photos, from the costume parade to posing with the Android statues outside the Android building at Googleplex:

{Dancing across the front of the room, droid-style}

{Note the skeleton fetus on my shirt!}

{With Ice Cream Sandwich (latest Android version)}

{Droid Skeleton + Honeycomb}

{Droid Vampire rides a Google bike}

Happy Halloween!

Painting on sugar pumpkins is fun!

Halloween Droids

For the Google Halloween costume contest, two of my coworkers and I decided to be Androids -- but not just any Droids, Halloween-themed Droids.  It fell to me to design and build our Droid heads -- a witch (Melody), a skeleton (me), and a vampire (Freeman).  

Here's the process in photos, from the beginning -- using Rigid Wrap (plaster wrap) around a beach ball to create each head-- to the finished product.

Supplies stand at the ready: beach ball, plaster wrap, water, scissors.

Working with the plaster is extremely pleasing and fun.

All three heads are formed and drying.

An eye slit has been cut in my Droid head.  Cole (who helped me quite a bit on the project) and I went back and forth about how best to cut eye holes, and this seemed like the best option.

Here's the witch Droid looking more like a nonplussed frog.

Vampire Droid gets its fangs (dripping blood, of course).

Freeman cut dowls to size so that I could screw them into the plaster wrap.  It was a fantastic way to attach the antennas.

The finished product!

I'll be back with photos of our entire costumes following the contest (which we'll win, of course) today.

Must. Make.

Our living room is in dire need of this:

Beautiful, graphic book art.  It's on my craft list.

Butcher Paper Wreath

Last weekend I got a wild hair and wanted to try out a new craft.  This butcher paper wreath required nothing more than a wreath form, some butcher paper, and hot glue.  Plus it was fun to make!

Since it's monotone, I knew it needed to be hung on a painted wall to reach maximum potential.  Our bedroom proved to be just the place for it.

Before finishing it, I made a loop out of ribbon and hot glued that to the back of the wreath for a hook.  I then attached it to the wall with a tack.  Voila!  Hanging this was easy since it's so light.

I used so little of the $3.99 roll of butcher paper that I purchased that I could probably churn out dozens more of these.  I'd actually like to make a couple of larger ones and hang them together in a collection.

Here's how the wall looks now.  Note my previous project, the sleep masks, hanging from our lamps.  We've both tried them out now and they definitely do the trick.  Cole's came out looking kind of like E.T., which is a bit creepy.  Nothing like having huge felt eyes staring at you when you wake up in the morning!

*Apologies for the less than awesome lighting--it was raining yesterday evening and kind of dark when I took these photos.

DIY Sleep Mask

As much as I LOVE the fact that the days are getting longer, the sun is coming up earlier and setting much later, and my body is not telling me to go into hibernation mode like it does in winter, I do not relish being awakened by stray sunbeams on Saturday or Sunday mornings when I want to sleep in.  Enter a sleep mask.  This is the only way I can stay in bed on a weekend during the spring/summer months, given that our bedroom gets morning sun that sets our yellow curtains ablaze with light.

I whipped up this little guy after doing a bit of Googling for sleep masks.  I think it's a major improvement over the existing pink satin one we have which proclaims, "Wake me with a kiss."  Ugh.

I give this craft an A+, as it was easy and satisfying to make.  The felt is really soft against the eyes and face, and with all of the layers not a drop of light is going to get through.

Next up:  a couple for overnight guests and one for Cole.  

T-Shirt Rug: Part One

A couple of months ago I saw this tutorial on making a Flokati-style rug out of t-shirts.  Since rugs really cozy up our apartment full of hardwood floors, I jumped right on it.  The prep phase for this project has been a bit long, but I have no doubt that it'll be worth it.  

To get this DIY started, I had to scour our local Salvation Army for a ton of white t-shirts.  I made a beeline for the men's t-shirt section and selected the biggest, cheapest white shirts I could find.  That day, I went home with 25 t-shirts and began the cutting process.  I cut the tees into one-inch strips, filling a huge bag.  This cutting phase took a long time and spanned many an Entourage episode.  It also took a toll on my right hand.  Even with Cole's good sewing scissors, it was a lot of repetitive movement!

{The dyed strips waiting to be cut into smaller strips.}

Once I had sliced and diced all of my t-shirts, it was time to dye the strips.  I chose Sunshine Orange, a RIT color, and I headed up the hill to a laundromat on Cortland to do the dyeing.  Talk about a stressful hour!  I did not choose wisely in terms of laundromats.  The one I chose was really small and an old Chinese lady was milling about, cleaning the floors and watching everyone and everything like a hawk.  I already felt suspect since I was going to be dyeing my strips in a machine, which can be a big no-no at laundromats.  (In my defense, I always clean up after myself and make sure that no trace of dye remains on/around the machine.)

Anyway, I had to stealthily add my dye to the machine and start the cycle without arousing the suspicion of the old Chinese lady.  Then I sat back with my book, surreptitiously reading but really monitoring her movements.  At one point she lifted the lid on a washer in progress and my heart lurched into my throat, hoping she wouldn't check my washer.  Luckily, she didn't.  When my washer finally shuddered to a halt, I was able to quickly pile all of the strips into a dryer and then run a second cycle through the washer to remove any traces of orange dye.

Only once did the old lady pause in front of my dryer, sizing up all of the orange cotton strips spinning around in it.  She then moved on, sweeping detritus out the front door.

I'm 99% happy with the dyed color; it's just as sunshine-y as I hoped.  Unfortunately, the first thought that came to mind when I saw the dyed strips was Circus Peanuts.  Yep, these strips are the exact color of that dastardly candy.  I'll get over it.

{About halfway through the cutting-down stage.}

Once I had my clean, dyed strips at home, it was time to cut the strips into MORE strips--each one four inches long.  This also took a long time and a lot of cutting.  Again, my hand suffered.  But after a couple of hours, I cut the last one and surveyed the mound that I had created.

{Mound o' strips!}

Now that I'm done with the cutting and dyeing stages, it's time to start hooking the rug.  This is the canvas I'll be using:

It's in the shape of a rectangle right now, but I've been thinking of cutting it into a circle or possibly an oval.  We'll see.  Off to watch (more) Entourage and start putting this thing together...I can already almost feel my toes scrunching into the super-soft t-shirt material of this soon-to-be rug!

Let's Cuddle

For Valentine's Day, I embroidered this little guy for Cole.  What is it, you ask?  Why, it's the chemical compound for oxytocin--that little cocktail otherwise known as the love hormone.

Happy Valentine's Day!  Here's to everyone having someone that trips the love hormone for them--whether it's a friend, family member, or lover.

Homemade Limoncello

I made limoncello to give as Christmas gifts this year and just made a second batch.  This activity is so satisfying to me because mostly it's time that makes limoncello good.  Once you peel the lemons, there's little left to do but wait for the concoction to become delicious.  {OK, OK, there are a couple of additional steps, but it's so worth it.}

If you're inclined to try your hand at limoncello, here's what you do.  You'll need:

• 15 to 20 beauteous lemons
• 2 750-ml bottles of vodka (at least 80 proof) or Everclear
• Simple syrup (I like a 1-to-1 ratio of sugar to water)
• A large glass container to hold your concoction
• Jars or bottles for the finished product

If you're lucky like me, you're able to harvest the most beautiful, huge lemons from your in- laws' citrus trees in Arizona and then cart them back to California so they can live up to their full potential as limoncello lemons.  Make sure you choose lemons with nice skins that smell good.  I have a feeling that this batch of limoncello is going to be even better than my first one, as I had to use semi out-of-season lemons for it back in September.  This time around, I got huge, in-season fatties that smell heavenly.

Get your vodka or Everclear and decant it into the container you're going to use for your limoncello.  As you can see, I really did go for the cheapest vodka possible.  For your container, a big sun tea jar would be great.  I use a gallon glass container that I picked up at our local co-op.

Wash your lemons and dry them, making sure to remove any debris.  Then peel them.  I use a regular vegetable peeler, but you could also use a sharp knife.  Make sure you are only peeling the yellow citrus skin and not the white pith underneath.  If you leave a lot of pith on your skins, the limoncello will turn bitter.

Once you've thoroughly peeled your lemons, add them to the vodka, leaving at least 2 inches below the top rim of the container.  Seal it tightly and store in a cool, dark place for at least 2 weeks but preferably for a few months.  

I allowed my first batch to steep for 2 1/2 months, which really allowed the citrus oils to infuse the vodka.  If you're like me and enjoy checking on the progress of your projects, feel free to open the container every couple of weeks or so and swirl the peels around.  You'll notice that the peels will start losing their color after awhile, and the vodka will start turning yellow.  That's a good sign!

When the lemon peels have sufficiently infused the vodka, make the simple syrup and add it. For this batch, I'd use 3 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar.  Combine them in a saucepan, boil until the sugar is dissolved, allow to cool, and then add to your container.  For this batch, I'll have to divide it and get another container.  Put the jar(s) back into a cool, dark place for at least another 2 weeks.

When you're ready to bottle your limoncello, get a coffee filter or cheesecloth and strain your mixture through it, pressing out citrus oil from the peels.  I used coffee filters the first time around, but will use cheesecloth next time because I think it'll be easier and allow more of the oil to leak through.  Discard the peels (hopefully into a compost container) and bottle the lemony yellow liquid that you're left with.  Use recycled jars or bottles with tight-fitting lids, making sure that the bottles are completely clean.  Let the bottled limoncello sit for another week for drinking or giving it away.  Make labels to give the limoncello as a gift!

Store your homemade limoncello in the freezer because it tastes best ice cold.  It won't freeze due to the alcohol content.  For a tasty cocktail, pair it with champagne and a dash of Grand Marnier.  For a tasty treat, pour it over your choice of ice cream.

Don't forget about all of your naked lemons!  Juice them and make fresh lemonade or freeze the juice in plastic containers for later use.

I have so much extra citrus from Cole's parents' house that I may try my hand at orangecello or grapefruitcello.  Either would be just as good as limoncello, I think!

Felt Dahlia Headband

This weekend I finally got to a craft that I'd been planning for awhile: a felt dahlia headband.  I saw these graphic flower headbands and pins when we went to Renegade Craft Fair, but when I saw their prices I quickly decided to try to make my own.  I used the great tutorial here (which is actually for a dahlia brooch, but I modified it for the headband).  

The dahlia wasn't that difficult, just time consuming--especially the gluing of each individual petal.  I started out using Fabri-Tac as recommended, but I switched to hot glue when assembling the flower because the Fabri-Tac just wasn't strong enough to hold the petals in place.  Other than that, the tutorial is perfect.

I'm pretty happy with the results! 

New Additions

A couple of weeks ago we took Cole's mom to the amazing and wonderful Renegade Craft Fair at Fort Mason.  It's a huge building, right on the water, chock full of crafters and their wares.

We were pretty excited when we turned a corner and saw Ryan Berkeley manning his stand with his mother alongside him.  We excitedly started rifling through the animal portraits, trying to decide which ones to add to our (very slowly) burgeoning collection.  It was an excruciatingly difficult decision.  The gorilla was in the running.  And the shark.  And the pygmy marmoset.  And the goat lazily eating part of his tie.

In the end, these are the guys who made it:

I love how the donkey looks so earnest while wearing what appears to be a 70s-era silvery-white tux [he was Cole's pick; she thinks he looks like Frank Sinatra].  I chose the "wait, what, you're taking my picture now?!" sea otter, looking so jaunty in his bowler hat and vest.

We now have four Ryan Berkeley prints.  That means we have, oh, several dozen more to go.